From 1920 to Now: The Epic Evolution of Eyebrows

Full, natural-looking brows are such a sought-after look nowadays that imagining a world where pencil-thin brows were en vogue seems like an impossibility. (Though we here at Team Byrdie, children of the '90s, have photographic proof of said brows… *shudder.*) Because we got a little too tweezer-happy as teens, it's a miracle that we were even able to grow back the arches we've come to know and love today. (RapidBrow Eye Brow Enhancing Serum, £37, may have had something to do with that.)

The transition from plucking the life out of our brows to wanting them to be as full as we could humanly grow them is an interesting one—a transition that's ebbed and flowed throughout history. For the past century, we've seen brows go from long and thin to arched, and from bushy back to thin (you get the picture). But to get an actual visual of these transitions, we put together a roundup of the various brow trends from 1920 to now. Keep scrolling to see for yourself!

In the roaring 20s, a deep red lip and defined cupid's bow were often synonymous with pencil-thin eyebrows that women would draw past the outer corners of their eyes. The use of heavy makeup saw an uprise during this decade because following WWII, makeup became more user-friendly, transferring from tubs and rolls of paper to portable compacts and lipstick tubes.

There's no doubt that Marilyn Monroe was a trendsetter through and through. Along with her trademark curly blonde hair and sultry red lips, the icon's prominently arched, groomed brows influenced women of the decade to follow suit.

Thick, natural, and ungroomed brows were the most sought-after look of the 80s, with Brooke Shields pioneering the beauty movement. Madonna was also famously known for her dark, brushed-up brows during this decade. It's safe to say wax and tweezer sales probably took a hit during this time period.

Ah, the 90s. Women of this decade put brow grooming companies back in business with their pencil-thin brows à la Gwen Stefani and Drew Berrymore. Thin, over-tweezed brows carried over into the 2000s until the brow baton (so to speak) was passed from Kate Moss to Cara Delevingne.

Today, women are all about their brows—the fuller, the better. If you weren't blessed with a full set of arches, there are enough powders, waxes, and pencils on the market to fake a set like Emilia Clarke's.